<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Don't turn like Orpheus by LizaFugere</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29424927">Don't turn like Orpheus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizaFugere/pseuds/LizaFugere'>LizaFugere</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Concrete Structure of Dreams [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>DC Comics References, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Most characters will either show up or be mentioned, Slow Burn-ish, Supercorp across the Omniverse, Supergirl (TV 2015) Season 6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:28:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,960</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29424927</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizaFugere/pseuds/LizaFugere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The hurt cuts deep and broken hearts takes time to mend but seems that Lena Luthor and Kara Zor-El are on the right track to learn their lesson. Finding their way together, fighting against the odds and villains that just keep geeting in the way. <br/>But that's a Super and a Luthor's life of being partners, best friends (and something else), of changing the world and spreading hope alongside their family and friends. </p><p>Or, how an explosion, colorful rocks, a dog, a Cat, imps and song playlists, family, maniac brothers, sadistic humans and aliens alike, threats from across the cosmos and from the far future (and many other things) will add flavor to our power couple's rocky road ice cream.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Querl Dox/Nia Nal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Concrete Structure of Dreams [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2133510</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Shadowy aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy two year anniversary to "Kara Danvers, you are my hero."</p><p>The first part of the series is not mandatory but complementary. The first chapters will follow on what happened in the second arc of season 5 and its aftermath, the next ones will show more new content and ties in as it encompasses my theories and wishes not only for season 6 but for Supergirl overall in Arrowverse and DCEU.<br/>I would like to thank my friend @ Vagendada for being my soundboard.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em> All will be well </em> - Adara, the Entity of Hope.</p><p> </p><p>[Leviathan's HQ, 92 days after Crisis, around April 2020]</p><p> </p><p>The thing with acute radiation poisoning to a human is that: if the person doesn’t die almost instantly in a blast, they may not feel the effects for minutes to days after being exposed to it. And every minute of exposition counts to worsen the effects. The first symptoms the subject will get is: nausea and vomiting, headache, fever, disorientation and pain as it affects the neural system. Next, it will extend to much worse symptoms, depending again on the type and duration of exposure: internal bleeding, infections and cancer. </p><p>The Chamber, however, was no common nuclear industrial facility or radioactive device. It was made with old but advanced technology that only gods or really powerful people could have access to. Agent Dox felt the nausea and the searing pain across all his body instantly and endured it, thinking (correctly) that he would die.</p><p>The Super team have only realized recently that they had lost their Brainy to Lex. </p><p>Even more recently, they know how Brainy tried to pull a double (or triple, who knows by this point) agent move with a very failed plan from the beginning. So the Super Team didn’t know of his plans, of Leviathan’s location, or the risk that anyone entering the chamber would be exposing themselves  to. </p><p><em> “It's Brainy. He stopped Leviathan, he saved us. He needs my help,” </em>said Nia seconds after the Jahurupian gods disappeared. “I think it’s in Portland, I saw a mug with ‘Keep Portland Weird’.”</p><p>“There’s a museum full of weird things,” informs Alex, “I'll pass you the address and you can start from there. Go, I’ll let the others know to prepare the med bay.”</p><p>And so the Martians fly over to Portland in the efforts of locating their friend, with Dreamer being carried by M’gann. They land on the building of the museum Alex has told them about. Unfortunately.</p><p> there's interference blocking our powers to find Brainy’s signature,” cautioned the green martian.</p><p>“I have an idea, power me up.” Nia tells them both, sitting down on the ground. J’onn and M’gann kneel at her side and touch the side of her temple, aiding in the search and finding him at last.</p><p>***</p><p>Alex, deciding the best course of action to her is to be left behind and alert the ones that were at Lena’s lab, the place most equipped to deal with whatever Brainy was going through. Nowhere else would be safer or would know how to treat him, Lena having several security protocols and a team of Superheroes.</p><p>***</p><p>Dreamer's vision didn’t show the acute radiation exposure or the pain and effects it caused. </p><p>Nia ran inside anxious to get to Brainy only to scream in pain and fall to her knees, M’gann pulling her outside to safety. “What the hell?! It freaking hurts, we have to get Brainy out, now!”</p><p>“I’m going in, stay here.” J’onn ran, not risking phasing through the unknown room, and carried Brainy outside while trying to endure the effects of the Chamber.</p><p>Brainy was unconscious and heavily breathing when J’onn got to him and coughed blood when was deposited on the ground. Nia knelt by his side, putting her hands in his face and shoulder.</p><p>“Talk to me, Brainy, please.” She shook him gingerly, trying to understand. She saw Brainy frowning and coughing more blood as he gained some consciousness.</p><p>“The boxes imploded, the bottles will explode. We’ll have god’s soda.”</p><p>“Brainy! What happened? He’s burning, we get to get him out.” Nia turned to look at J’onn. </p><p>“Lex.” Brainy tries to laugh but the nausea hits harder, he pauses while J’onn gathers him carefully in his arms. “Radiation poisoning, 17 minutes. I’m sorry, Nia”</p><p>“Save your energy, tiger, I’m not losing you.”</p><p>In seconds they were flying again to National City across the skies.</p>
<hr/><p>[Lena's lab at LuthorCorp]</p><p> </p><p>“<em> ... I wasn’t ready to accept your apology but maybe, maybe I am now. </em>” Kara delivers the line with what seems almost like a lighthearted sentence.</p><p>For an unsuspecting viewer it may not seem like she just cemented a better future for the universe. But it doesn't matter for Kara, when she, without really trying, can hear Lena’s heartbeat rushing loud inside of her chest and see the trying hopeful look in the face of her-- friend.</p><p>For Lena, she couldn’t care less about the universe right now, because it was all coming down to this point: a glimpse of getting something so precious back, something that she thought she had lost for good. She feels like crying or shouting in exhilaration, all the emotions bubbling strongly but,  for now, she chooses to control the raging storm inside of her. </p><p>“Okay. What now?” Lena asks Kara, still depending upon her former friend to take the next move.</p><p>"Well, there’s one bad guy left to catch.” </p><p>“Let’s go take my brother down.” <em> Again </em>, Lena thinks to add. But this is not about Lex anymore, he will get what he deserves. This is about herself, correcting her mistakes by potentially putting lives at risk and, maybe, just maybe getting Kara back if she’s lucky enough.</p><p>Lena offers her hand and Kara meets her halfway. They don’t do much as shake hands. They mostly hold their hands in a grasp while gazing, as the time stands still.</p><p>What the kryptonian senses could capture wouldn’t be enough to distract her. She can’t think of much else, she can’t speak. All Kara could focus on was the person in front of her, apparently the one in the whole world that made all things stand still. Realizing that makes Kara lose a breath she doesn’t really need, not like humans do. </p><p>Everything comes back to Kara in an instant: the warmth of a hand she hasn’t held for almost an year, in another lost world; hearts beating even louder, of them both; Lena’s shallow breath passing through parted lips; of pupils taking over green eyes and eyelashes moving slowly; of her own cheeks feeling too much warm. But also rushed words in another room, she tries to remember whom those may be and blinks trying to fight the stupor. </p><p>“So...” Lena starts to speak, tensing her hand before returning it to her front. She fights the impulse to curl it into a fist to hold the warmth inside.</p><p>“Uhm...” Kara also tries to start a sentence, too, but her throat feels too dry. She takes her hand back, putting them back to her hip and lowers her head to try to hide a flushing. As if Lena didn’t know her enough to see what she was doing. Kara can see from the corner of her eyes Lena watching her with a fond smile. “So, Andrea was here?”</p><p>“Yes,” Lena answers after taking a deep breath. “Leviathan activated her only now. I handled her, she will arrange for her father to go to a safe place while she deals with the fall back from--” Lena stops talking when she sees Kara frown suddenly, gives her an apology look and concentrates on whatever she was listening to, it must be important.</p><p>“Kara, are you there? It’s Brainy.” Alex says via comms, “Nia believes he's been hurt while stopping Leviathan at their headquarters. They are trying to locate him. Tell Lena to start preparing med bay.”</p><p>Kara passes the message to Lena and adds: “I’m going to get Alex, the others are arriving at any minute now.”</p><p>“Go, I’ll handle things around here.” Lena says. </p><p>Lena gathers the materials and doesn’t need to guide Eve around the lab. The Prime!Eve, she calls in her head, seems pretty familiar going through the cabinets, Lena registers. The once traitor knows her way in that lab but that's a concern for a future Lena. </p><p>The hospital gear is distributed among Lena, Eve and Kelly, the last having some medical training while in the US Army. They wash their hands and start putting on scrubs over clothes, latex gloves and masks, having already secured their hair in caps.</p><p>They start to prepare the medical bay just as J’onn arrives with Brainy, and seconds later M’gann comes in with Nia. </p><p>“He said it was radiation poisoning, Lena. Probably 17 minutes of exposure.” J’on informs Lena as soon as they reach the labs where the others are.</p><p>J’onn helps Kelly to decontaminate Brainy’s skin and changes him to scrubs as soon as they arrive. Next they link him to the electrocardiograph, oximeter, monitor and put on an oxygen mask at the same time Alex arrives with Supergirl and starts to prepare too.</p><p>“Please wait elsewhere, we need the space.” Lena tells Kara pulling her from the others, who were observing from a few meters away. “Everyone that has been exposed must go through decontamination, too. You’ll find everything you need in the storage there.” Lena points in the right direction and pauses to look in the direction of the martians and Nia. “And, Kara, this won’t be pretty – don’t let Nia see it. We’ll call if we need anything.” Kara nods before leaving.</p><p>Alex reads his stats and begins examining by checking his pupils. </p><p>“He’s unresponsive. What’s more worrying it’s cerebrovascular syndrome, we can expect cerebral edema and seizures. There’s a slight swelling where he hit his head, so we need to pay attention to that too soon after. He doesn't present burns but there’s irritation and blistering on his skin and has vomited what it seems to be bile and blood. Blood pressure and heart rate are too low, temperature is too high, I’ll get Kara to bring it down with her freeze breath. No other severe traumatic injuries.”</p><p>Lena pierces the skin of his arm with a needle “I’m starting the fluids to accelerate the metabolic cycle, antiemetics to control vomiting, and antidiarrheal agents. And analgesic for the pain.”</p><p>“We’ll need to administer sedatives to prevent seizures and start on broad-spectrum antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents.” Alex informs the others.</p><p> </p><p>Seventeen minutes. Querl Dox had subjected himself, inside of the chamber of the god-like creatures and matter benders, to extreme levels of proto-phocused radiation during seventeen minutes. </p><p>He was saved by the superhero Dreamer, much like the Dream Girl he once met in his past that is everyone’s else future. She did it when she finally let her guard down to let him in. Without Nia Nal, Querl Dox would have been as good as gone. He was really lucky to be loved by such an astonishing woman. </p><p>However, he still has no idea of the extension of her feelings because he is currently having a cardiac arrest. </p><p>***</p><p>Nia paces in the break room at Lena’s lab after she decontaminated in the bathroom and changed her clothes to light blue sweatpants and sweatshirt. She has been at a loss for so long when it came to Brainy. </p><p>Kara is in the room, too, seated on the couch back in her civilian clothes and lets Nia try to disperse the nervous energy. Both wait for the more competent people in health care to save Brainy’s life in the other room while J’onn and M’gann stand on guard in the perimeter. </p><p>“How could he choose to work with Lex instead of us, Kara?” Nia suddenly asks, not stopping her steps. “How could he betray us like this? Him and Lena are supposed to be geniuses, but no! They have to go and choose to work alone or with Lex. Why didn’t he tell us anything, we could’ve helped him. And now he’s-- he--”</p><p>“Brainy will fight to come back, Nia, just as Lena did. And when he does, we will be there for him and maybe we will have some answers. He must have done it for a reason.”</p><p>***</p><p>Alex immediately starts a CPR, pushing hard and fast on his chest. Lena prepares the defibrillator if needed, however she’s not sure how the electricity would affect his biology.</p><p>Fortunately they don’t need it and he comes back, his heartbeats normalizing again. Lena adds it to the list of things to learn about how to better treat her friend, if the necessity arrives again.</p><p>Eve reads the monitor of the radiation detection equipment.</p><p>“The readings showit was proto-phocused radiation gamma-rays; a quantity he was exposed to was similar to Chernobyl after the explosion. I would hypothesize that the type of irradiation in that room was used as a means to increase the penetration on the tissues while not making everything else explode or to be picked up by authorities.”</p><p>“And the type of radionuclides?” Lena asks the information to ascertain specific treatments.</p><p>“Polonium-210, quantity enough to kill a human 10 times,” Eve answers, “he’s not irradiating it anymore, gladly, we’re safe. But he needs urgent blood transfusion, his cells are decaying rapidly.” </p><p>“He’s an alien, we need information for specific treatments, the radiation may affect him differently with his techno organic nature.” Kelly says.</p><p>“All we had on him was on the DEO servers, all destroyed without backup for security reasons, as far as I know.” Alex says the last part looking at Lena for confirmation, who nods. </p><p>“So we have to look elsewhere and I happen to have just the thing that could give us the information we need,” Lena says, turning around and leaving for another room in her labs.</p><p>***</p><p>In his current state of unconsciousness, Querl Dox also doesn’t know that if he had told anyone at least of the location of Leviathan’s building, he would have been saved in minus four minutes. He would have been exposed during only thirteen minutes and his chances would be slightly better. </p><p>His <em> friends </em> wouldn’t have wasted the time looking for him around the city. J’onn and M’gann would have been able to fly them to safety earlier.</p><p>“What if he doesn’t want to fight? What if it is too late?” Nia stops in the middle of the room facing the door.</p><p>One more to the list of things that made Nia Nal pissed. They almost lost everything and were almost too late and yet everyone had managed to come out alive. Alive, but barely in Brainy’s case. Alive, but God knows for how long.</p><p>She was almost too late. </p><p><em> “If you don’t pick a side, I’ll choose one for you” </em>, Nia had said to him last time they talked. </p><p>Less than 72 hours before she rescued him. But it seemed so much longer. Of them not speaking, of Brainy pushing everyone away, of pushing <em> her </em> away. </p><p>She was so angry at Brainy that if he wasn’t in a hospital bed she would’ve punched him. He had the opportunity to come clean, to choose their side. To be her partner again. She was angry with him but the person she was most furious at was herself.</p><p>Mostly she was terrified.</p><p>“I pushed him to do it, right? He wouldn’t be there in a suicide mission, I should’ve see it coming. I should have interpreted the signs correctly, if only I--”</p><p>“You have no way of knowing that, Nia.” Kara tries to stop the derailing of the young woman, rising from her place on the couch to soothe her. </p><p>“I literally did, Kara. But I pushed the dreams away when I needed it most! I chose to ignore them.” She had the gift to see things before they happened, after all. The dreams give her the unique opportunity to interpret and stop bad things from happening.</p><p>“You were hurting…”</p><p>“How can I be a hero when I didn’t help one of the most important people in my life? When he was about to die there,” her voice cracks, “all alone.” </p><p>Kara hugs a crying Nia, who lets herself be held by her best friend. </p><p>“This is none of your fault! You have to know this, it’s all Lex and Leviathan.” Kara rocks Nia to try to comfort her, “we may not have dealt about it in the best way. We were hurt, too, angry and disappointed but we all made mistakes. Our mistakes can cause more hurt than most, but that’s why we have each other. If one of us makes a mistake or falls, the others will be there to catch us.”</p><p>Kara walks with Nia back to sit on the couch, embracing to ground her. </p><p>“Maybe he was feeling cornered, thinking he was the only capable of doing what was needed to stop Leviathan.” She rubs Nia’s back soothingly. “Brainy is so strong and I bet he’s fighting his way back to you. Now we have to trust our friends to take care of him.” </p><p>Nia cries silently and Kara doesn’t ease the hold, strong enough to ground the naltorian but not to hurt. </p><p>There’s a soft knock on the door before Lena opens it. “Kara, Nia…”</p><p>“How is he?” Nia asks eagerly.</p><p>“He’s stable, he’s fine...” Lena says as if she’s doubting herself. </p><p> “I thought he almost--” Kara grimaces.</p><p>“And he almost did, twice… He’s still unconscious but if you want to see him, I’ll explain everything.” Lena nods in the direction of his bed. “I had a memory cube that-- that Lex procured from the future. I’ll tell you everything… He said it had information on virtually everything, you only had to wish for it. I wished for information on coluans in order to cure him but the box just-- <em> pinged </em>and levitated to him.” </p><p>“Levitated?” Kara frowns.</p><p>“It started to ping and literally got out of my hand and hovered towards him, as you can see” Lena points to where the white cube was still hovering and pinging above Brainy’s chest as they reached his bed. His readings looked stable and he had a peaceful look on his face.</p><p>“I tried to get it off him,” Lena shudders as she remembers the terror everyone felt not knowing what it was doing. “It became immovable and we couldn’t get it off but then, he immediately started to get better.” </p><p>Kara looks at the others around the bed; Alex, Kelly and Eve nodding in agreement with Lena. </p><p>“It seemed like a miracle,” says Kelly.</p><p>“Or a science beyond our understanding… I never saw anything like this at the DEO.” Completed Alex. </p><p>“Neither did I. Kara, you could ask Super--” J’onn's suggestion is interrupted by the cube that pings one last time and hovers and pings softly back to find Lena again, sitting on her hand as she extends it.</p><p>“You’re it’s mom now,” Nia comments. </p><p>Lena snorts and adds quietly, “it’s only fitting.” Lena and boxes, a recurring theme.</p><p>The words and acts of that box nudges something inside Kara’s mind, who continues to frown worryingly.</p><p>***</p><p>Hours later, in the first hours in the morning, Lena watches over Brainy by the computers in the next room with a cup of coffee by her side. They’ve done everything they could for now. All they have to do is to wait for the medicine schedule to make sure he stays fine. </p><p>The others had left earlier to heal and to rest their eventful day. All but Lena and Kara, the latter taking a nap in the break room after being convinced she was the one exposed to mortal danger just hours before, not Lena. The reasoning was not enough to fully convince Kara.</p><p>“You’ve been up since the sunrise, too. I don’t even <em> need </em> to sleep.”</p><p>“But you <em> are </em> sleepy.” Lena states and Kara huffs. Lena knows her, a year apart was not enough to make her forget. “And I still have things to do. Who is better to save us from an attack? A not enough rested human or a groggy kryptonian? I’ll sleep when Kelly and Alex arrive in a few hours.” </p><p>“Fine, but don’t forget I have virtually unlimited stamina.” Kara says begrudgingly and finally leaves after making Lena promise she would call her if anything was needed. </p><p> </p><p>First she calls Andrea to check on her and then Lena is left to her own thoughts, she needs to plan for the next gambits her brother may be about to make. One more battle to make these people safe, now she had all the help she needed.</p><p>And now there’s this mysterious cube as the cherry on top. She picks it up again and the cube glows white and blue.</p><p>‘<em>Where do you come from, our little deus ex-machina? </em>’ Lena asks in thought and instantly feels it humming in her hand.</p><p>Images start to flow holographically in front of her, of a planet with blue oceans and continents filled with green of paradise forests and valleys. At some point the records start to show a completely alien city hovering above the green. It’s filled by all sorts of buildings in gold, copper, of violet or green colors.</p><p>The name [<em> New Genesis] </em> is shown in text right above. Nothing else. Lena never heard of it, probably Kara knows something, she’ll make sure to ask her later.</p><p>A floating cube that has provided illimited information for now and that just cured her friend’s life from close death, curiouser and curiouser.</p><p>“What do you do?” </p><p>[<em> What do you wish for? </em>] Appears in text and pings, Lena scoffs. </p><p>“Nothing you could give me.” It pings in answer, “also, be careful what you wish for and all that.” </p><p>It pings again, now she understands as it agrees with her. Weird.</p><p>“Who is Leviathan?” The cube shows images of Rama Khan, Gemma Cooper, Margot and several other agents, including the gods they had battled today. </p><p>“I want information on all active agents.” </p><p>It pings, sounding peeved, [<em> Sent to your AI HOPE </em>].</p><p>“Are you upset? Good Lord, I’m talking to a box now, Brainy, can you hear that?” She says looking up for her sleeping friend.</p><p>[<em> I’m a Mother Box, not your avarage AI </em>] </p><p>“You say that as it should make sense.”</p><p>[<em> It will </em>]</p><p>“Do you know what Lex Luthor is up to?” Lena asks but the answer takes longer to arrive this time. </p><p>[<em> Shelley Island </em>].</p><p>She turns off the cube and goes to take a shower before waking Kara up.</p><p>***</p><p>“G’morning. How is he?” Kara asks with a sleepy voice as Lena appears on the door to wake her up as the morning comes. </p><p>She runs a hand over her face, yawns, and gets up; by the time she stretches, Kara’s already looking fully rested after a three hours super nap under mini sun lamps Lena had kept in her lab in another life.</p><p>Part of those three hours, Kara had spent lost in her thoughts after being awakened by the soft of Lena’s voice talking with Andrea on the phone, after that she actively stopped eavesdropping. Now she eyes the roof above her but not really looking, with a hand behind her head and the other on her stomach. </p><p>So many things had happened in such a short period of time. Brainy almost died to save and give them a chance to win. He played everyone masterfully, Kara couldn’t imagine how much pain he must have been through. They knew the DEO was compromised for some time but they didn’t think that Brainy was probably just as compromised. And he wasn’t, after all.</p><p>Lena came back. Lena came for her and apologized, helped them, saved her. The hope speech she gave to two billion people worked (she thinks for a moment if maybe that’s really a new superpower she developed), it was all about Lena.  </p><p>Kara wanted their friendship back more than anything but the hurt somehow still felt fresh. She could still feel the fear inside her chest, it was there like a scar; or, not so much like a scar but an anxiety for what’s to come. Her heart beats faster as she remembers the sometimes little hopeful smiles, or smiles that made Lena look like she was afraid, too, to hope too much. The kryptonian knows that there’s another layer to their friendship, to her feelings. </p><p>Her heart beats faster still as Kara remembers how Lena put herself between Andrea as Acrata and her. Having heard everything, Kara was one second away from leaving virtual reality should her friend needed her, but Kara believed in Lena as Lena did in her.</p><p>Is she staying, though, after they catch Lex one last time? Her mind wanders.</p><p>Kara hears Lena getting up and walking towards Brainy’s bed. She hears the flush of the liquid Lena injects in his IV, a “you’re going to get better soon, my friend” whispered to him, even if he’s inconscient and hears the steady pulse of Lena’s heart. After some minutes of focusing on the latter, she fell asleep again.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s sleeping as peaceful as he can be, I believe he’ll be awake in the next few hours.” Lena answers from the door as she watches Kara put her shoes on. Kelly said they’ll be here in about an hour. I talked to Andrea earlier, she’s already working on damage control.”</p><p>“Good. Obsidian has a lot to answer for.”</p><p>“I do, too.” Lena sighs.</p><p>Kara sees how Lena’s tired, had only freshened up while Kara was asleep, having changed to a pair of blue dress pants, a loose white blouse and a perfect ponytail.</p><p>"There's so many things I have to tell you-- the things I did… Can we talk for a little while?" Lena fiddles with her fingers, entering more into the room without closing the door. Lena sits down on the other end of the sofa when Kara invites her to sit. </p><p>In her time alone in the middle of the night, Lena made a quick list of things she wants and needs to talk to Kara about, depending on the gravity, size and urgency. She decided that moment that there's one she'll save for last, one she’s been holding for some time, should the others not wreck their possibility of newfound friendship. </p><p>Kara looks momentarily like she’s about to argue, “okay, but you said you would rest after Alex arrived.” The blonde says as she motions to the work attire the other woman was wearing.  </p><p>“I will, but I’ll aid Andrea first. I don’t know if you heard but she was here last night,” Kara nods. “Leviathan only activated her now, she defied them but we believe it’s just a matter of time before they come to her and-- to us. She fled her father to one of their safehouses but she has to deal with the aftermath.”</p><p>“You think Leviathan was not defeated?” Kara feels tired again, they both sit down at the grey couch Kara was napping on just minutes ago. </p><p>“I’m afraid not. I-- talked with that memory cube--” </p><p>“Talked?! Lena, they could be dangerou!”</p><p>“Thank you for worrying but I believe we bonded. It calls itself a Mother Box, I feel like I could trust it. It’s a difficult concept for me, too, believe me.” She scoffs, “I’ll continue to be wary of it, though. Nonetheless, it gave me information about other Leviathan's agents, I’ll give Alex access.”</p><p>“As for Leviathan, the agents we knew were brought down, the leaders at least, but not everyone. We need to prepare if they decide to act again. But we have time for that, Lex is a more pressing issue.</p><p>“The Mother Box gave me a location, Shelley Island-- we can start there-- just don’t go alone, promise me.” Lena says as Kara was about to say something.</p><p>A hard to read look passes in Kara’s face. It takes some seconds for the answer to come in a nod. Lena continues,</p><p>“I may not know what he’s planning still but I’m sure of two things: it won’t take long before he acts because he will soon know we succeeded; and, he’ll come after me using every tool against me including driving us apart by exposing my mistakes. One certainly will be my involvement with, to put in a way, shady acts with Non Nocere and how it was played with Obsidian’s failure.”</p><p>“You may have created but it’s not your fault how it was used,” Kara protests.</p><p>“Just like with the Daxamites and Harun-el, I know. But Kara, it doesn't release me from culpability.” The human takes a deep breath and prepares herself for the next part, she has to do this now. If she has any chance of cleaning after her wrongdoings and trying, just trying with Kara, she has to tell everything. </p><p>But the bones in her closet feel too oppressive, she fears and fears.</p><p>“Please, you need to listen to me until the end. I followed every updated safety and ethical protocol but there are things-- the experiments I did with both Non Nocere and the Harun-El, they’ll look dubious.” </p><p>“The Harun-El, I thought it was in the past.”</p><p>“There’s something else, it still haunts me and <em> he </em> knows it. The last phase of any experiments involves human trials,” it weighs down on her, making it difficult to speak, she can’t look at Kara. “I had a sole subject. His name was Adam, he didn’t want to be a hero like his brother but he was. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. He died with an earlier version of the serum.”</p><p>“Did he know of the risks?”</p><p>“Yes, he did. He-- he was well informed of all the risks, possible results and chances; he actually asked me to continue the trials after I tried to shut it down.” That’s something Lena keeps reminding herself, to shun the sour taste it leaves in her gut.</p><p>“I’m sorry for him, if you want to tell me more about him later, I would be happy to hear it. He helped save James.” Kara says to Lena softly and reaches out for her hand.</p><p>Lena prepares herself for the next part. “You know how on last Earth I worked with Ma'alefa'ak, J’onn’s brother, to get the Q Waves. In this one Lex brought the Q Waves from the future with I thought to believe it was only a memory cube.”</p><p>“So he was behind Winn’s return.”</p><p>“It’s highly possible. He showed up one day with this cube and told me to imagine anything I wanted and the cube would give it to me. I wanted the Q Waves, since the shifts in the universe meant I had lost the frequency of it. So having them, we convinced Andrea to allow us to work with the lenses to channel the effect. </p><p>“I experimented with inmates at Stryker’s Island. It was working amazingly until it didn’t. Due to external interference of the environment: the energy shortage caused by the Sun Eater, it caused a chained reaction. But in reality, it was doomed to fail.”</p><p>“Did someone die?”</p><p>“Thank God, no! Some inmates were hurt but everyone was fine as I left it after ordering to shut the program down. They also were well informed, but it may not look like it since they were incarcerated.”</p><p>“Well, if it comes to this I’ll just write a piece about it! You have nothing to worry about.” Kara says with a grin and Lena let’s herself believe in the hopeful words of the woman by her side as they look into each other’s eyes. </p><p>Lena sighs, “thank you, Kara. It means the world to me.” It feels like she’s not only talking about some article Kara may write defending her once more, it feels bigger. </p><p>Lena gets up and straightens her clothes. “Do you want coffee? Spiced pumpkin latte?”</p><p>“You know me,” Kara beams as she stands with Lena. And it feels so right and so light, Kara feels as if she can breath again. As for Lena, seeing her former friend smiling so closely makes her lose her breath.</p><p>***</p><p>Alex and Kelly arrived at LuthorCorp some time later, Alex to stay there with Brainy to wait for him to wake up, M’gann covering her, and Kelly taking a ride with Lena next to the CatCo/Obsidian building. </p><p>“So, how was your night?” Alex asks Kara after she went to check on Brainy’s condition briefly with Lena.</p><p>“Fine. I took a nap.” Kara answers as she drinks, very interested at the perfect temperature spiced pumpkin latte with extra foam and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top.</p><p>“And what about Lena? Did you two talk?” Alex’s face doesn’t give anything away.</p><p>“She worked all night. And we did, a little.” Kara shrugs, taking a bite from her glazed donut. “I'll update you later…”</p><p>Alex humms, controlling herself to not push her sister. “Okay. Are you heading to CatCo, too? I mean-- after taking a shower, you stink.”</p><p>“I do. Not. Stink! Don’t be mean.” Kara checks discreetly still, even knowing she is basically incapable of smelling bad under a yellow sun or if there isn’t a crime scene with gruesome stuff involved. “I will go home to freshen up and go to check William at the hospital.”</p><p>“Hum. Send him my get well wishes.”</p><p>“Okay. You’re humming a lot this morning, anything on <em> your </em> head?” Kara asks Alex, trying to raise an eyebrow to show how Alex is not acting as smoothly as she likes to think she does.</p><p>“Just don’t be late to work. And tell me everything later.” Alex leaves a confused Kara alone. </p><p>***</p><p>“Good morning! How are you holding up, Lena?” Kelly asks as she approaches the other brunette.</p><p>“On coffee and hope.” Lena cringes a little, “sorry, I’m very sleep deprived. Good morning, Kelly. But I’m fine, I guess… I just didn’t have time to process everything.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s been wild, hasn’t it?” They both chuckle. “I’m here if you need to talk, you know. You’re still my friend, I’m sorry if I didn’t try harder to reach out to you.”</p><p>“It wouldn’t have worked. And thank you, you’re my friend, too.” Lena’s eyes waters a little when Kelly comforts her shoulder. “I’m the one who owes you an apology. I helped to put everyone in this situation and pushed you away.”</p><p>“Lena, something tells me that this crisis would have happened anyway, with or without your <em> willing </em> help. It’s bigger than you, than us, you have to know that. You were a hero, working with Kara to save everyone.”</p><p>Lena feels herself blush a little and smiles up to her friend.</p><p>“And it’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it? Working with someone you care about, dealing with high stakes and protecting each other,” Kelly smirks playfully and sighs. “I had a rush helping Alex invade Obsidian’s systems yesterday. No wonder there’s a whole thing about battle couples, it’s fantastic how adrenaline strengthens the bonds and all.”</p><p>“I suppose,” Lena answers distractly and Kelly keeps a slightly amused but straight face.</p><p>“Babe, Kara’s going to see William,” Alex interrupts their talk and keeps an eye on Lena, who clenches her jaw and looks away to the monitor by her side. “She asked if you wanted to send him a message.” Kelly thanks Alex with a kiss and goes to meet Kara, leaving Lena alone with Alex. </p><p>“Relax, Luthor. I’m not going to try to have some heavy talk this early in the morning.”</p><p>“What made you think I was expecting a heavy talk?” Lena raises an eyebrow at Alex. </p><p>“A hunch.” Alex answers cryptically, but softens right after, “but I’ll say that, Lena, I am really glad you’re back.” </p><p>It takes Lena aback, “I-- I’m glad, too, Alex. Truly. But we can save that heavy talk for another day, right? Now I’m going to give a ride to your girlfriend, bye.” Lena winks and leaves.</p><p>Alex harrumphs and rolls her eyes affectionately. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>[CatCo Worldwide Media]</p><p> </p><p>“Nia, where’s Lena?” Kara asks the young woman, who almost falls back with her chair after being startled by her friend, but Kara stabilizes her first. “She’s not picking her phone.”</p><p>“I thought she would call you, she just left in a hurry five minutes ago.” Nia says with a hand over her fast beating heart, she continues whispering. “She was at Andrea’s office when she found out about Stryker’s explosion. It’s Lex, isn’t it? I saw a bald head in one of the TVs in my nap, really creepy.”</p><p>“I’m going to find her.” Kara replies.</p><p>“Go,” Nia nods and doesn’t even try to mention that Andrea was looking for her, priorities.</p><p>***</p><p>Lena is wiser now, a year after shooting her brother because she thought that, alone, it was the lesser of two evils. The only thing she had left to do. She was exceptionally wrong. So when she sees Andrea in a similar position stuck in a mess with a deadly secret organization, Lena knows what to do: she won’t leave her former best friend alone if Andrea let’s her. </p><p>Dealing with the repercussions includes: removing stressors such as Andrea’s father, taken to a secret location by a reduced security team. Of being called out by Supergirl herself to two billions of people of the dangers of the lenses: by calling Obsidian’s lawyers, calming momentarily the board of directors; issuing a press release to preliminary information and an immediate recall of all Obsidian Platinum products. Keeping Andrea, Kelly and Eve safe (even if Lena is not very trustful about the last one).</p><p>Lena has no doubt Obsidian won’t survive this, they'll be bankrupt. That leads to minimizing losses and Andrea was well aware that she had to let go of CatCo Worldwide Media.</p><p>The problem is, Lena couldn’t buy it back.</p><p>“Lex would spin a tale and find a way to use it against me.” Lena said on a video call in the middle of the call with Andrea, she has to expect the worst from her brother. “Me buying CatCo would only leave the company in jeopardy. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, there’s a lot of vultures out there just waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of a desperate move like this. I cannot let that happen.” She blames herself already to put the company in this situation in the first place, failing it for a second time would feel like failing Kara.</p><p>“What about Veronica Cale? She’s fantastic… No, scratch that, she would do worse than me with a media empire in her hands. Erica del Portenza? No, too shady.”</p><p>“Glad we’re on the same page.”</p><p>“Veronica Hawkes? And Ted Kord? Wayne still didn’t show up.”</p><p>“Now you’re just throwing names around, Andrea. I know why you’re doing this, you’re too scared to consider the one name that would help to make things right. I know because she scares me, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hours later Lena is at the backseat of her car with Kelly after leaving her labs at LuthorCorp.</p><p>“Kelly, I think you’re still in danger.”</p><p>“Straight to the point, I see.” Kelly says with a grin.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I don’t see a nice way to put it. You were on the frontlines in the beta tests with the lenses, you reported the failures and now, if they find out you were involved in their demise...”</p><p>“You know I worked in the army, right? I’m not that soft, I saw ugly things out there, Lena. But thanks for worrying about me.” Kelly reaches for Lena’s hand between them and gives her a soft smile. “I was aware of all the dangers. Yes, it shocked me a little knowing William was kidnapped and shot and there were godlike creatures involved but, what scared me the most was seeing what happened to Alex when she got lost in the VR world. It was terrifying when I wasn’t able to wake her up and I couldn’t let that happen to others, knowing how easily they could have been killed there, how that could have happened with her.”</p><p>“I’m sorry.” Kelly nods and Lena asks her with a slightly scared voice “what do you think it’s going to happen?”</p><p>“There will be a lot of hearings and statements, juridical and ethical councils will pour over our operations and research, yours included. Maybe they’ll believe we were being used by some supernatural beings, probably they won’t. The other Leviathan's agents out there we’ll beat them because now, we’re all together. I’m sounding a lot like Kara, aren’t I?” Kelly shakes her head affectionately.</p><p>“She has that effect.” Lena sighs and looks out of the window.</p><p>“I think everything is gonna be fine because we’re going to protect each other.” Kelly continues playfully. “We just saved two billion people, we deserve some credit!”</p><p>Lena believes her.</p><p>***</p><p>They just saved two billion people and it should feel anticlimactic that they don’t have a single day to breath right after. Even if it’s a saturday. So when Lena arrives at the floor of CatCo Worldwide Media to meet with Andrea and feels the room change as every eye falls on her, she immediately knows something’s up. </p><p>Lena sees Nia napping at her desk and tries to not show an affectionate smile.</p><p>When she reaches the office that once was hers, she finds it almost empty, the only thing left being a chair with Andrea sitting on it and a different, simpler desk in front of her, scorched marks in the roof and floor and a single TV functioning by the wall displaying the news. </p><p>“It was more dramatic when I arrived this morning, you know?” Andrea says convertionally after seeing it was Lena at her door. “Glass everywhere, the desk was broken, almost every electronic thing lost in a short circuit. Really dramatic, don’t you think?”</p><p>“I think you shouldn’t be surprised…”</p><p>“Oh Lena, but I was. It was just the first surprise of my day,” Andrea says looking right in Lena’s face. “Imagine my surprise when I arrived at my tech enterprise this morning and watched footage of Gemma Cooper turning into a freakin robot in the middle of my office. </p><p>“Or when I found out that <em> your name </em> was involved in a scandal. You have guts to show up here, right now. You should be at LuthorCorp putting out fires and not here to drag my company into further chaos.”</p><p>“What are you talking about?!”</p><p>“Please, don’t tell me you don’t know. Did Supergirl keep you busy enough that you didn’t see that a whole sector of Stryker’s Prison exploded barely 48 hours ago? And that there are rumours of your involvement in it?” Andrea points at the only functioning TV at the wall. It reads in passing words ‘Lena Luthor was conducting human trials with new technology at--’.</p><p>It took all the years of being raised in the Luthor household to control the bile that was raised into her mouth. There’s the sound of blood rush running in her ears, she must have heard wrong. But she didn’t, on the television the news displays footage of a building in flames and firefighters trying to control it.</p><p>Lena almost throws up. It looked like all the confirmation the latina needed. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Lena.” Andra sounds apologetically by her outburst and very tired. “We’re both in a mess.”</p><p>***</p><p>Boxes are so very useful to Lena. </p><p>She bids her farewell to Andrea, saying she’ll be in contact later and walks with quick steps to the elevator. Nia, being awake, tries to talk to her but is gently shut down with a promise that the young journalist will be updated soon when Lena herself finds out more about what’s happening. Nia was left with a worried frown.</p><p>First, when she enters the backseat of her car, she calls her lawyers and with a very controlled voice, asks why she wasn’t made aware of what happened. </p><p>“I’m sorry, Ms. Luthor, Mr. Luthor told us that he would tell you himself and that you should be left alone on the weekend. He would deal with this for now.” </p><p>At that, the boxes don’t feel strong enough.</p><p>“Listen to me carefully, Mr. Shaw: you don’t answer to my brother, you answer to me.” Lena says with a terse voice. “I imagine you are already in contact with Metropolis Special Crimes Unity, they must be the ones involved. Collect all possible information with them and send me by email. Write a press release but send it to me to review, first. We will cooperate in full capacity with the investigation and I will be open to every enquiry they have.</p><p>“You’re my lawyer so you need to hear it from me: I did not order any harm to fall on them. I’m not involved in this explosion and we’ll do everything we can to prove it.”</p><p>“I understand perfectly, Ms. Luthor.”</p><p> </p><p>Lena leaves to find Lex at-- somewhere, since she doesn’t really know where he is and didn’t plan far ahead; to punch him until his nose’s down to his ass probably, to scream and demand for answers, two bullets doesn’t seem like too much anymore. A headache is starting to appear and she presses the palm of her hand into her eyes. </p><p>Her attempt at controlling the pain in her head is interrupted by the sound of honks and the car partition being lowered followed by the voice of her driver, “hm-- Ms. Luthor, Supergirl is in our way, literally.”</p><p>That brings Lena’s attention immediately, she opens her eyes to find Kara standing in front of her car, waving at her with a grin. “It’s alright, she’ll catch a ride with us.” The scientist moves to open the door, confidently that the kryptonian had heard her.</p><p>“Of course, Ms. Luthor.” He pulls the partition back up to give them privacy.</p><p> </p><p>“Lena, you cannot go see him right now.” Kara in her Supergirl suit says as soon as she enters the car.</p><p>“So you’ve heard. Why would that be?” Lena knows the answers but is stubborn enough to not give in so easily. “He has a lot to answer for.”</p><p>“He will, but today is Saturday… I have a proposition for you.” Kara states, turning to face Lena better. When the brunette only raises an eyebrow in question, she continues. “It’s been a <em> long </em> time since we had brunch together, we <em> must </em> go to celebrate the rekindle of our partnership.”</p><p>The invitation takes Lena completely aback, she has been getting that a lot today. “I just basically killed 52 people, Supergirl. I can’t just go to <em> brunch. </em>” Lena angrily says, making Kara frown.</p><p>“You didn’t kill them, I’m certain of that! But please,” Kara turns on her puppy eyes, “you would be exposing yourself facing him right now. Spend today with me and I'll help you clear your head. We don’t need to go anywhere actually, we can go to yours, I’ll even make a kale <em> smuchba </em> for you or get you anything you wish to drink or eat and you’ll take a nap-- I know you’re exhausted. Later we’ll drink and eat and talk about it or not, or do anything you want to do. I don’t know, watch movies or play games, I’ll get chinese from China and we’ll rest. Tomorrow you can read all the emails you want and call your lawyers and I’ll be there with you if you want. Just-- let’s just have today, okay? And Alex is taking care of Brainy, so we don’t have to worry about that for now, too.” </p><p>“Okay.” Lena answers with a small voice. That’s all she can answer even if she feels undeserving. But with Kara looking so <em>damn</em> <em>earnest</em> at her Lena doesn't feel strong enough to deny her anything. </p><p>“Okay? Umph, I was about to rant a lot more until I convinced you.”</p><p>“You were pretty convincing. But what’s a <em> smuchba </em>?” Lena asks warily. “Is it kryptonian?”</p><p>“Nah, I just made out the word to disrespect your beloved kale.” Lena can’t help the giggle that rises in her chest, fortunately she can keep some important words inside. Kara knocks the partition. “Hi Frank, can you take us to Ms. Luthor’s apartment, please.” </p><p>Frank nods, keeps a straight face like it’s everyday that <em> Supergirl </em> calls him by his first name. His little niece will be over the moon to know Supergirl is spending time with his boss again. Not that Frank is a gossiper but his niece is a big fan of both women and bringing a smile to her face is worth spilling some beans.</p>
<hr/><p>[Somewhere in the Fifth Dimension]</p><p> </p><p>Mr. Mxyzptlk is anxiously eating popcorn, sitting at the edge of the most comfortable couch one could develop with powerful magic at their disposal. He has been binge-rewatching/catching up on his exceptional home theater system the adventures that happened in the last three months in the life of his favorite heroines in National City, United States currently existing on Earth-Prime. </p><p>He is disappointed with himself for not following the events as they happened live. </p><p>If he did, he would be there when they took the bus downtown together and would’ve made sure to make the bus driver to suddenly hit the brake, making the two little birds bump into each other and upping the unsolved tension a bit. </p><p>But he got distracted at the time, replanning the perfect living room and had lost a perfect opportunity. </p><p>This wouldn’t happen again. So he thinks of ways to interfere surgically in the future, being careful to not make them really uncomfortable, to respect the boundaries and their history as best as he could. He has better consciousness now but he was still an Imp.</p><p> </p><p>The humans themselves have a lot of ways to depict the rising tension without doing much. He still gets chills when Lizzie and Mr. Darcy hold hands briefly by the carriage  whenever he watches Pride &amp; Prejudice (2005).</p><p>Mxy holds his breath every time Kara and Lena are in the same room. </p><p>Now he is almost crying watching Kara saying “... to hurt me in every way imaginable.” It has been painful watching them together but now he understands the paths they took, being driven by the hurt and being once again manipulated by that loathsome supervillain. Kara made the right choice, after all.</p><p>They chose to jump and were there to catch each other. </p><p>Mxy has so many feelings that he can’t help buzzing a “Yesss!” when they finally shaked hands and booed the screen when they got interrupted, “they were about to hug!!”. That’ll get him every time, he knows it.</p><p>He writes down in his floating to do list to hire a portrait commission, possibly in watercolor of Lena with floating hair in her lab, watching Kara speed by her to save Ms. Tessmarcher’s mother. The look of longing in Lena’s eyes, it will sit nicely in his personal galery between the paintings A Longing Look by Edouard Debat-Posan and Saudade by Almeida Junior. </p><p> </p><p>A bell rings. He is being called somewhere. Not summoned, no. That would be unbecoming for him for he does what he pleases. But his curiosity was always a strong suit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Calm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The superfriends regroup, rest and work some more. Kara and Lena take a comfort day for themselves, taking another step back to each other, after receiving some disturbing news. In other words, some more of Supercorp fluffy.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>“We’re free to embrace the best part of ourselves. More than the multiverse has changed. We have, too, our lives have… My allies… With their truths restored, they can take on any darkness.”</em> Diana of Themyscira, Infinite Frontier #0.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>[Deserted Facility, north of N.C. 93 days after Crisis.]</p><p>Mr. Mxyzptlk is summoned to an unknown site somewhere on the West Coast. He immediately recognizes the bald head and poor excuse for a beard. Lex seemed calm, but he could see the nervous ticks coming from the anger festering inside the man since his plan to kill Supergirl failed.</p><p>Mr. Mxy doesn’t like being summoned but likes even less the guy that is convinced to hurt his One True Pairing. Even more when the imp himself tried to help them get on track together by showing Kara the impossibilities of the <em> what ifs </em>. He wishes there weren’t certain rules to just finish a villain like Lex Luthor.</p><p>(Mxyzptlk won’t lie, though. He lived for the drama and they sure delivered it.)</p><p>He knew the bald male Luthor in another life, from the pranks they did together to get Superman, fun days those were. But this Lex was no fun, he’s a sadistic jerk-guy on the path to hurt even more of his two favorite people in this part of the country. </p><p>However, Mxy’s going to listen to him, disclosing all the impness that would appeal to the villain. It’s fun to play double agent and nobody said he couldn't get his kicks out of it too.</p><p>“Mr. Mxyzptlk, nice to meet you.”</p><p>"Well hello, Mr. Luthor. I'm curious as to why you’ve summoned me on this fine day."</p><p>“I want to propose  a deal. If you meddle with Supergirl’s life I’ll owe you a favor.” </p><p>“Nothing material you have to offer has use for me. Why should I help you?"</p><p>"Entertainment, you'll have a magnificent target and a favor to cash in from a very powerful person in this world."</p><p>The imp from Fifth Dimension pretends to ponder on the deal.</p><p>"Why not, I was growing bored anyway. Any suggestions or requests?"</p><p>“I want her to suffer. There are interesting types of kryptonites that affect her kind and I believe you have the resources with your magic. But feel free to be creative."</p><p>"That's pretty much amenable. Now, if you'll excuse me." He snaps his fingers and his granulated blue magic takes him away back to his magic living room.</p><p>He has many ideas already.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>[Lena’s apartment, morning]</p><p>“How we didn’t know anything? I mean, we were busy but we should have heard a word about it.” Kara asks between spoonfuls of cereal and milk on Lena's kitchen island, back in her blue long-sleeved top and comfortable sweatpants Lena lended to her. It was her favorite kind of cereal, Lena just put it in front of her and didn’t provide any explanation for it. </p><p>“We were <em> really </em> busy, I think the authorities tried to keep it on the low and my involvement was only out this morning. Besides,” Lena sighs, taking a seat besides Kara, also having changed to comfortable clothing. “Lex told our lawyers he would be <em> taking care </em> of it.”</p><p>“Great Rao! That’s it, enough about this today. So, uhm,” Kara chews to buy her time, suddenly finding herself void of things to say next. “What have you been up to?”</p><p>“You mean, besides trying to mind control the world?” </p><p>“Ugh, yeah, ” Kara chuckles. “You do know how to keep busy,” she winks and feels awkward immediately after, blushing; the cereal is really appealing right now.</p><p>Lena continues to watch her as she sips her green smoothie, “I do. I just worked, you know how I am… Non Nocere was my main project but Lena from this world had a lot of other projects going on, too.”</p><p>“Cool, cool…” Kara turns pensive for a moment. </p><p>Lena nudges her after she’s been quiet for some time, leaving the brunette anxious, scared that she had slipped or if the blonde was having second thoughts of asking to stay with her. </p><p>“You can leave if you need too, you know? I’ll stay here and try to rest and think things over, you don’t need to babysit.” Lena offers her friend (?) an out.</p><p>“No, Lena! I’m not babysitting you. I was actually thinking if I wasn’t overstepping.”</p><p>“You aren’t.” Is it too soon to say how deeply Lena missed her and wanted her close? “I'm really thankful you kidnapped me in the middle of traffic.” </p><p>It brings a laugh out of the blonde. “I so did not. My first idea was just to lift your car up and away.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>[Obsidian North's]</p><p>It’s many hours after lunch and Kelly is finishing just another report, the third only this day. She hasn’t worked this much since her army days. The anger is fueling her empty stomach and bringing closer a headache that’s starting to simmer.</p><p>Kelly doesn’t like to be brash, she likes to think of herself as a very calm and centered person ー always has been this way. But when Kelly arrived that morning at the Obsidian’s floor and met Andrea at her office when the CEO came from CatCo’s office, Kelly was ready to eat Andrea’s head.</p><p>“I can hear you saying ‘I told you so’ even without opening your mouth.” Andrea says instead of a greeting.</p><p>“I may have a worse choice of words for your lack of responsibility and caution when I told you, over and over again, that there was something wrong with the tests and that Eve Teschmacher was bad news.”</p><p>“Is that how you speak with your boss?”</p><p>“I’m not scared of you, Andrea. I <em> know </em> what you’re involved with, I know about Gemma. You almost let two billions of lives be lost and that didn’t happen just because of Supergirl and her team.”</p><p>“How did you--”</p><p>“You won’t fire me but you won’t either stop me from telling the truth in any investigation to hold Obsidian North responsible. You need me, Andrea, if you want to have a<em> chance </em> of cleaning up your name to some degree.” All comes out in a controlled rage, “I’ll be in my office gathering all reports we have on the beta tests and information on what happened or could have been. You should do the same about Gemma Cooper’s influence in this company. Don’t try to stop me, <em> boss </em>.” </p><p>Andrea is left seething by herself.</p><p> </p><p>The day only got worse when Nia comes to see her with news from Stryker and of an agitated Lena leaving the building. Kelly immediately calls Alex.</p><p>“Babe, did you hear about--”</p><p>“Stryker? Yeah, I did.” Alex answers over the phone and sighs frustrated. “Kara told me she’ll be taking the day off to stay with Lena.”</p><p>“That’s really good, they need this.”</p><p>“Bad things come in three, right? First Leviathan, then Stryker’s, what’s next? I feel like things are not over yet.”</p><p>“Well, Brainy almost died, I think it works as a third.” Kelly tries to lighten the mood. Knowing her girlfriend and the dark humor she is partial of, it works just fine as she hears Alex scoffing from the other side.</p><p>“You know just what to say, one of the reasons I love you so much.” </p><p>Kelly can’t help but melt inside. “You can show me later, I’m out by seven. I’ll meet at the greek restaurant.”</p><p>***</p><p>The sun has just set and the sky is painted by rich colors of dusk when Lena leaves her room after having slept for almost six hours.</p><p>“You have no idea what I’ve found on my bar when I woke up after Crisis.” Lena tells Kara as she walks in the direction of her mini bar.</p><p>“Color me intrigued.” Kara is sitting on the couch working on her laptop when her attention is picked up by her once more best friend (?). </p><p>“Aldebaran brandy. I didn’t have one before Crisis and it's half gone already.”</p><p>“You kidding me!” Kara lights up quickly, grinning. “I don’t even drink… or didn’t. I only drank this kind of stuff once and it was awful.”</p><p>“I’m sure it’s more like no one taught you how to drink, Supergirl. I’m ready when you are.” Lena says shaking the bottle with a playful smirk. </p><p> </p><p>“How’s William going?” Lena asks abruptly, hiding a discomfort, after her second glass of white wine. They’ve moved to the different ends of the couch in Lena’s living room, both seated turned to each other. </p><p>“Uhh he’s fine, I guess…” For some reason, talking about him with Lena makes her uneasy. “How’s Andrea dealing with everything?” But it also doesn’t make her feel any better, must be the aldebaran alcohol, even if Lena had watered it down with juice and other stuff, making it delicious. </p><p>“She all but kicked me off her office. Don’t worry, I would do it, too.”</p><p> </p><p>Minutes later Kara flaps her hands in a frantic retelling of some more events she experienced while they were apart, being on the beginning of her third Lena’s special cocktail.</p><p>“Then, Mrs. Stein’s dog runs out right after we passed the vet’s door and the collar drops from the chain! I had to run after him at a normal speed because it was full of people!” Kara raises her hand to display her despair. “Lena, don’t laugh! It was so awful, he almost ran into the very busy street. I still have nightmares that he's going to just fly away and I’ll be stuck on the ground.”</p><p>Lena laughs hard with eyes closed and head thrown back, because of that she loses the endeared look Kara had in her face.</p><p> </p><p>There’s a lull in conversation during the fourth glass of wine when Lena keeps gazing at Kara.</p><p>“What, do I have something in my teeth?” Kara asks and runs her tongue over her teeth. Lena looks slightly like a rabbit caught in the headlights.</p><p>“It’s the first time I see you with ordinary clothes and no glasses, you’re-- different. It’s nice, you look nice.” Lena says and tries unsuccessfully to hide the blush behind the glass of wine as she takes another sip.</p><p>Kara thanks her and blushes even harder. She also tries to straighten her glasses but since they’re not there, Kara only touches her forehead. It’s worth it when Lena giggles.</p><p>***</p><p>[Lena's lab at LuthorCorp]</p><p>When Brainy wakes up and he expects everything to hurt. Surprisingly it doesn’t. Everything is blurred for a few seconds and when the world comes to focus he finds Nia sleeping on the chair besides his bed. </p><p>This room is an anomaly for he should be dead after going after Leviathan by himself.</p><p>Therefore this is a construct of his mind, so real only a 12th level of intellect could build, a place he created himself inside of the Big Brain. The coluan feels well rested, excellent, Nia is here with him even if she’s not real. He recognizes the structure as being inside the LuthorCorp so it’s Lena’s lab. The only thing left to do is to continue living with his fellow coluans, to get out of this room and communicate with others to find out if he was successful in his mission.</p><p>He’s fine and Nia is here. Somehow. </p><p>Being content with his inferences, he moves to sit up and Nia wakes up with a start.</p><p>“Don’t move,” she instructs.</p><p>“Why mustn’t I move, I’m perfectly well.” He tries to stand up but she stops him with a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“You almost died yesterday, dumbass. You’re still recovering.”</p><p>“There’s nothing to recover, my darling Nia, there’s no physical body to hurt. I’m one with my kind in the Big Brain. But-- it’s nice having you here, a beautiful construct.”</p><p>Nia stares at him as if he grew a second head. Brainy is perfectly fine to stay seated and to keep looking at his once girlfriend.</p><p>“You hit your head, that box of Lena didn’t work on everything obviously.”</p><p>“Lena, my comrade. I hope she’s finally well and has found her way back to Kara. But I’ll assure you-- Wait. I shouldn’t be ensuring my own mind of how healthy I’m feeling. Nia, is this Earth-Prime, 2020 and not the Big Brain?”</p><p>“Of course, it’s Earth. What are you talking about? Did-- did some other crisis happen while I was sleeping?” Nia frowns and it’s her time to assess reality around her.</p><p>“I must be in a coma. Yes, it makes sense. Are you here to bring my mind back to my body?”</p><p>Nia pinches him and he yelps. “Is this real enough for you? I saved your ass, you dimwit--” Nia slaps his arm and keeps hitting, “-- you dummy dumbass, you twit peabrain. What do you-- think you were doing?!”</p><p>Brainy accepts the slaps, they don’t hurt him as much as the tears in Nia’s eyes do. Finally he reaches for her hands and secure them between his.</p><p>“Nia Nal, you are the most splendid person I’ve ever met.” He pulls Nia by her waist and kisses her. </p><p>Nia sighs and melts into the kiss.</p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Lena sits a little more closer when she returns with refresh drinks and glasses of water to them both. Kara feels relaxed enough to tell about despair and hope, the words flow easily out of her easily with the comfort of alcohol and the company.</p><p>“It was so-- empty and dark at the Vanishing Point, Lena. I cannot describe how things were at that place, time was not a thing and we had no idea what to do. It was difficult even to hold on hope with the uncertainty, you know… I just wanted to come home and wished things would be good again but there was no one and nowhere to go back to.”</p><p>Kara picks a loose thread on her shirt and leaves out how her rupture with Lena had already affected her even before the wave of antimatter took away all things. </p><p>Lena, with her legs tucked beneath her, extends her hand to Kara and the kryptonian takes it on her own. Lena thinks for a second about how it’ll never stop to amaze her that a being so strong can hold her hand with such care and delicacy.</p><p>“And then we were at the beginning all over again, at the dawn of times, literally.”</p><p>“That’s insane, you were at the Big Bang, Kara. That’s incredible, you’re incredible.” Kara holds her gaze and smiles impossibly wide.</p><p>“I felt this surge of hope so strong, I knew I was coming home and everything was going to be alright again. I think I’ve never felt so hopeful, well-- that and when you finished my suit.” Kara says softly. </p><p>“Then you get here, to a place where Lex is the good guy.”</p><p>“Well, we were partners and you did these amazing things without your name holding you back. We can be partners again, we kicked some serious ass today.”</p><p>“We did, didn’t we? But I don’t think I would have the strength to do what you did, at Crisis, new levels of heroism we’re talking about.” Lena says biting her lip. </p><p>“Well, I think you would. The Monitor said you saved like three billion people with your portal; you’re a hero, too, in my book.” Kara says with a grin, she doesn’t realize but her eyes are at Lena’s lip. “Oh, talking about books, did I ever tell you I almost hit Lex with heat vision?! The Monitor stopped me but I got this close.”</p><p>“Oh, too bad! This Monitor guy was pretty much an ass for stopping you.”</p><p>It’s good to laugh about it now, Kara feels safe and so strong, feels her skin buzzing with comfort and happiness. It’s good to finally talk with Lena freely, it means so much.</p><p> </p><p>“Flash told me he met another him, you know, with the multiple universes and what not… Do you ever think about the other you-s?”</p><p>“Sometimes, but I try not to give it much besides the science behind it all. I just wish the other Lenas had found their Karas.”</p><p> </p><p>Kara bites her lip and asks "Will you be my best friend again?" in a small voice at the top of her drunken state a few minutes later. ‘<em> I want you back </em>’ is at the tip of her tongue.</p><p>"There's nothing in the world I want more.” Lena says in an impossibly soft tone. “Believe me, Kara: I’ll work everyday to earn your forgiveness."</p><p>“I will, too.” </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>A door opens suddenly into a dark apartment, the force is enough to make it slam and bounce off the wall. The responsibles are not concerned in the slightest. </p><p>Kelly has to work hard to concentrate while Alex’s lips are attached to her neck as they make out just outside of Alex’s apartment. She doesn’t want to, it makes her body burn with love and desire, but--</p><p>“Alex, the bed’s inside.” All the answer she gets is a hum and lips and tongue moving to hit just the spot where it makes her knees go weak. Gladly Kelly’s been supported both by the wall and by the hands on her butt.</p><p>With great difficulty, Kelly pushes Alex off of her and with a smirk she commands, “inside, now. You promised me you would show me the new features you developed with your martian gadget.”</p><p>The words infuse new purpose in Alex and just a few seconds later they reach the bed.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>It’s almost midnight and Kara has stopped drinking after they ate their take out dinner. She didn’t go to China, Lena suggested they just order in; besides, it wouldn’t feel right to leave her alone for much longer. </p><p>It wasn’t the alcohol making her feel weird, no. She was completely conscious it was the presence by her side causing all sorts of feelings to her, making her feel high without having to fly. The slight buzz felt really good, she just stopped because she would take care of Lena, because she promised they would drink for today before starting to fight their way out again. </p><p>Lena was starting on another bottle of wine when she fell silent for some minutes. To give her some minutes by herself, Kara stands to go to the restroom and brings a glass of water to Lena on her return. </p><p>“Kara,” Lena starts as she draws random patterns in the now empty glass, “I missed you so, so much. You have no idea how much I missed you. I’m so sorry.” The last part is said in a broken voice and with tears running down her face. It cuts deep Kara’s heart because she missed Lena, too. </p><p>Kara takes the glass off Lena’s hands and pulls the brunette for a long awaited hug. </p><p>“Rao, I missed you too, just as much.” Kara says against Lena’s hair, pulling her smell as well as air and leaving a small kiss there and letting her own tears fall. </p><p>It feels like coming home.</p><p> </p><p>“We shouldn’t be here, we should be searching for Lex. He’s out there doing God knows what--,” Lena says with pleading eyes up to her best friend, as Kara runs fingers smoothly through a hair the color of raven's feathers. The sitting woman had coaxed Lena to lay down her head in her lap after a long and firm hug. </p><p>“Lena, please. Taking care of you was more important than catching him, okay? J’onn is searching for him and he’ll let me know if anything, okay?”</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Kara. I didn’t want them to get hurt, I didn’t.” Lena cries and Kara hugs her tighter.”</p><p>“I know, Lena, it’s not your fault.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>[Leviathan's]</p><p>“When you fled Atlantis we took you in, is that how you repay us? You had a simple task, Gemmanae.” A deep and faceless female voice comes through a communication hub in Leviathan’s hideout. “You and Rama-Khan failed and exposed us, shaming this organization. You had a simple task and all the means to cleanse the Earth and prepare it for a greater future.”</p><p>“Please, Elder, it was Lex Luthor--” the woman alien once known as Gemma Cooper tries to protest. She’s all but abandoned her human form for now, presenting herself in her robotic shape.</p><p>“Yes, he played you and now our schedule has been delayed for months.”</p><p>“I’ll get revenge, Overlady, I’ll make the Luthors and Andrea Rojas pay, just give me one last opportunity to prove--”</p><p>Gemmanae is unable to finish the sentence as she starts to be choked by an invisible force. </p><p>“I should make you pay.” The choking continues. “However, you’ve proved your worth before, granting you one last chance, atlantean. Send Lex Luthor to me, leave the others untouched. You’re foolish to think you can touch Lena Luthor without attracting the rage of the female kryptonian.”</p><p>The hold is finally released. “Disable this base, we’re moving.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You can yell at me on @fugerenonpossum.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>